The present invention relates to a food cooking system and method which is particularly adapted for frying various pieces of food in such a manner so as to remove fat or oil from the fried food. In particular, the oil and fat removal system includes a gravity feed cooking container and an ultrasonic rotational basket which is rotated and in which the food is ultrasonically treated to reduce excess fat and oil from the food; and the method includes ultrasonic treatment of food to reduce excess fat and oil.
One traditional method of cooking food involves frying the pieces in hot oil. This is a popular method of cooking, however, the oil adds undesirable calories and unhealthy fat to the food. Moreover, the process of frying the food involves heated oil which can be messy and frequently generates undesirable cooking odors. Another disadvantage of traditional frying Methods is that it can be time consuming to clean the equipment used for the frying.
Moreover, in deep fat frying food, the temperature can be critical in obtaining sufficiently crisp food which is not over or under fried. The cooking time also must be measured accurately. In addition, following the traditional deep fat frying method, the food benefits from additional draining, during which time the food may become overly cool.
Many attempts have been made to remedy some or all 30 of these problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,093, Chiu, discloses food processing equipment which charges oil into a frying tank as one of several processing steps. A vacuum state is created in the frying tank, and oil from an oil reservoir is led through a heating means into the frying tank. A food basket is shaken by being pneumatically vibrated up and down and rotated, in order to evenly fry the food. Once the food is fried, the frying oil in the tank is recollected into the oil reservoir via a filter. Chiu utilizes the shaking motion of the food basket in a vacuumized state to avoid directly frying the food. Steam heating and other aspects of Chiu""s complicated device are undesirable and still do not solve the need for a cooking system which is easily cleaned, provides a traditional fried flavor, but reduces the calories.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,265, Ronci et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 2,568,792, Cripps, each disclose a cooking apparatus which has a rotating cooking basket to help spin out unwanted oil from the food. Ronci discloses a combination fryer and charbroiler food cooking apparatus, in which a cooking basket is lowered into a cooking chamber with the hot oil. When the food is cooked, the basket is moved to an upper spinning position, in which the basket rotates about its shaft and spins out the oil and grease. Cripps discloses a vertically movable and rotatable basket, which can be elevated from a lower cooking position to an upper position in which the basket is rotated to extract excess fluid, water or fat from the cooked food. Although both of these involve a traditional method of frying the food, they do not avoid the traditional problems of measuring temperature and cooking time, they do not simplify cleaning of the cooking apparatus or remove the undesirable cooking odors. Moreover, simply rotating the basket, although an improved method, still does not sufficiently eliminate extra fat from the food. U.S. Pat. No. 3,200,737, Ferenc, also discloses a cooking utensil using a rotating cooking basket. Here, a manually operated crank rotates the basket around a shaft, causing the frying liquid to be thrown off of the food. The Ferenc cooking utensil has the disadvantages similar to those of Ronci and Cripps.
Self contained frying machines have been attempted, to automate the control of temperature and of cooking time. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,091, Garber, discloses a self contained frying machine, which shakes a food basket to drain excess fat. Garber merely automates the manual process of placing french fries into a frying basket, placing the basket into a chamber with properly heated cooking oil, removing the frying basket from the cooking oil, and shaking the frying basket. Garber still has many of the disabilities of the traditional food frying systems.
Other attempts to improve the traditional method of food frying are shown, for example, in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,697, De Longhi, which has a deep fryer and a rotating basket, in which the basket is inclined into the oil bath. U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,486, Nitschke et al., discloses an automated deep frying system which includes a food storage compartment, a cooking chamber, and an oil replenishment chamber.
Although the art shows spinning food baskets, or baskets with vertical movement, conventional devices do not maintain the traditional fried taste of the food while sufficiently reducing extra fat and calories. Many of these systems still have the problem that they are messy and do not reduce objectionable food cooking odors. The complexity of some of these systems makes them difficult to clean. Moreover, the non-automated systems still permit errors since they do not automate the measuring of cooking time and cooking temperature. Alternatively, some of these systems simply automate the traditional manual method of frying food, without eliminating the other problems of conventional methods.
Therefore, there remains a distinct need for a food frying system and method which reduces extra fat and undesirable calories, while retaining the traditional fried or cooked food flavor. There still remains a need for a food cooking system and method which is less messy and more efficiently reduces objectionable cooking odors. In spite of the available systems, there still remains a need for a system and method which is useful in home and industry, but which is relatively straightforward and easy to clean. Also, conventional systems fail to solve the need for a food cooking system which is more accurate in measuring temperature and cooking time.
Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a food cooking device and method which can provide food with a traditional flavor while reducing undesirable fat and extra calories. A feature of the present invention is that is provides an ultrasonic, rotatable basket, which extracts excess oil, fluid or water from the cooked food; and that it provides for ultrasonic removal of excess oil, fluid or water from cooked food. Another object of the present invention is to provide an easily cleaned, self contained cooking device which additionally reduces objectionable cooking odors. A feature of the present invention is that the device may be self contained and include a vent with a filter for odors.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a food cooking device which is relatively straight-forward and easy to clean. A feature of the present invention is that it may be cleaned by running cleaning fluid and/or water through the cooking cycle after cooking is completed.
A further object of the present invention is to reduce inaccuracies in measuring temperature and cooking time by automating the cooking process.
Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be understood from the drawings and detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which follow.
In accordance with the foregoing objects and advantages, there is provided a food cooking apparatus. There is provided a first container. A second container is connected to the first container, with a passage defined therebetween and communicating with the first container. A basket is rotatably mounted in the first chamber, and has a vertical, ultrasonic vibrating motion. The first and second containers are pivotally mounted on a housing surrounding the containers. The first and second containers pivot between a first, tilted position and a second, vertical position.
The food cooking apparatus may include a vent tube communicating with the passage. Further, it may comprise a filter for reducing odors, mounted on or in the vent tube.
The invention further provides that in the first position, a bottom of the basket is lower than the passage; there is provided a motor for rotating the basket in the first position, and for vertically vibrating the basket as the first and second containers move from the first position to the second position.
In accordance with other aspects of the invention, the first container may include a removable lid, and may include a filter in the lid. Further, the first container may include a shield which is sealed thereto.
In accordance with other aspects of the invention, the food cooking apparatus may include a drive shaft and a motor connected thereto, whereby the motor rotates the drive shaft and pivots the first container and the second container from the second position to the first position. Further in accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided a heater element disposed adjacent to the first container, and a heater element disposed adjacent to the second container.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the basket for the food cooking apparatus includes a flexible bottom wall, a side wall, a handle portion, a receiver formed in the handle portion, and an ultrasonic and rotary motion drive communicating with the receiver, wherein an ultrasonic vibrating motion is provided to the basket. Further, the basket may include several apertures permitting the passage of cooking liquid, such as oil, into and out of the basket.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of cooking food in a liquid. A basket is provided for containing the food. A cooking chamber is provided into which the basket is placed. Liquid may be placed into a heating chamber connected to the cooking chamber. The basket containing the food is placed into the first chamber. The heating chamber and the cooking chamber are pivoted about an intermediate pivot point, so that the liquid flows from the heating chamber into the cooking chamber. The basket is rotated, and the food is cooked in the basket in the cooking chamber. The basket is moved ultrasonically and vertically within the cooking chamber.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of self cleaning a cooking device, further comprising the step of removing the cooking liquid from the cooking device, and placing water into the cooking chamber, and generally following the cooking steps with the cleaning liquid.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following drawings and detailed description. This is the brief description of the drawings.